


Injury

by H_Faith_Marr



Series: Blue Spirit AU [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Blue Spirit AU, Episode: s01e13 The Blue Spirit, Gen, Muteness, Prompt: Inury, Stitches, mute character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-19
Updated: 2019-12-19
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:08:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21855031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/H_Faith_Marr/pseuds/H_Faith_Marr
Summary: The Blue Spirit took an arrow for Aang, and so Aang returns the favor by bringing him back to camp.
Relationships: Aang & Zuko (Avatar), Katara & Zuko (Avatar), Sokka & Zuko (Avatar)
Series: Blue Spirit AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1574527
Comments: 84
Kudos: 1602
Collections: Found Family Bingo, Quality Fics





	Injury

The Blue Spirit is quiet.

Not that Sokka expects anything else when his first introduction to the group is the two Water Tribe siblings hallucinating vividly, especially after Aang assures Sokka that the stranger hadn’t said a word during the entire rescue, either. So really, it’d just be mean to pester the guy about it.

What he _is_ going to pester him about though is the _obviously bleeding hole in his side._

Tui and La, there is _still an arrow in it._

“Sit _still_ , Blue.” Sokka grumbles, standing over Katara as she carefully cleans around the arrowhead and protruding shaft.

The masked man shoots him a look that is rendered unreadable by, well, his mask. Though, holding himself stiffly, he finally allows Katara to do her work, but at the same time he grabs a branch with his free arm and starts drawing in the dirt.

No, not drawing. _Writing._

 _If you just give me a needle and thread, a cloth, and some hot water,_ are the words marked into the dirt. _I can stitch up myself._

Sokka taps Katara’s shoulder, and she leans back to read the message. Surprised, she glances up at the blue and white, manically grinning face. “Are you sure?”

_Wouldn’t ask if I wasn’t. I’ve done it before._

Sokka crosses his arms. “You’ve stitched up your own arrow wounds before?”

Blue shrugs with one shoulder, and scribbles out, _not arrows, but I have been stabbed before. They’re similar._

He’s so _casual_ about it, so Sokka has to ask. “Dude, how long have you been travelling alone?”

He gets another look for that, and even if he can’t read it in his expression the tribesman can _feel_ the other’s ire. _Can the interrogation wait until I’m not bleeding out?_

He underlines _bleeding out_. Viciously.

Aang finally bursts. “Just let him, guys. He got hurt saving me, I think we can trust him to take care of himself.”

And that’s another point. Sokka’s never seen Aang so subdued before, hanging back and watching the Blue Spirit as if he’s afraid his rescuer is just going to keel over any minute. 

“It’s probably for the best,” Katara admits, fetching the requested supplies and hurrying back. “I can sew, but I get the feeling stitches are different.”

The swordsman pauses long enough to scratch a single word. _Very._

And then Sokka has to sit down as he watches the guy deal with his own injury, or he might end up injured himself.

Casually, as if this is just another day for him, the stranger breaks off the shaft and accepts the clean cloth, dipping it in the hot water and pressing it against his side to staunch the blood flow as he pulls the arrowhead straight out and with such care that Sokka has to wonder again if the guy’s never been shot before. The cloth quickly comes up to press against the wound, and the arrowhead is tossed to one side. Blue, with _one hand_ , threads the needle and ties an efficient knot with nimble fingers, then proceeds to stitch up the hole bit by bit, moving the cloth only slightly lower each time to keep as much blood inside himself as possible.

The guy doesn’t even flinch when poking the needle through flesh and pulling the knot tight. How many times has he done this? How many times has he gotten hurt, only to fix himself right back up?

The Blue Spirit is quiet. He finishes the stitches, folds the bloody cloth and puts it aside, then levers himself to his feet. Katara instinctively moves to support him, mouth pressing into a tight line at his flinch, though he doesn’t pull away when she yanks his arm around her shoulders and makes him lean on her. 

Sokka gets the feeling the guy’s going to slip away at his earliest convenience, and that doesn’t sit right with him. Now, how to get him to stick around… ah. Right.

“So,” he crosses his arms, head tilted only slightly back to meet the eyes of the mask. “You’re not bleeding out anymore. Ready to answer some questions?”

The Blue Spirit’s sigh is visible, but he nods and grudgingly allows Katara to prop him up against Appa. He sinks into the thick fur, legs stretched out in front of him, and waves for Sokka to speak before crossing his arms.

Sokka sits cross-legged a few feet in front of him, and pulls Aang and Katara down next to him, then repeats his earlier question. “How long have you been travelling alone?”

Blue tilts his head to one side, as if trying to remember, then shrugs one shoulder without uncrossing his arms.

“What?” Aang, with remarkable self-restraint, only leans forward well into the man’s personal space instead of leaping to his feet. “How can you not know?”

He sighs again, and snatches up another stick from the ground. _I wasn’t exactly keeping track._

“And you have no one?” Katara presses, hands clasped in her lap and eyebrows furrowed.

Sokka lets himself sit back and carefully suppresses a smirk as the swordsman pulls farther back into Appa’s fur, knowing that the poor guy doesn’t have a chance once those two get going. There’s no way they’re going to leave someone to fend for themselves after saving one of their own. They _owe_ him. The least they can do his help him back on his feet.

 _I don’t need anyone_ , he’s written in the dirt. _I can handle myself. You should really be getting out of here, though. Zhao’s not going to be too happy, and he’ll already have men out looking for you._

Aang worries his lip. “What about you?”

 _I’ll be fine_ , Blue dismisses. _But you really need to leave._

“We can’t leave you hurt like this after you helped us!” Katara protests, braced almost as intently as Aang now, jaw set. 

He hesitates. _It was the right thing to do_. Another pause, tension tightening his posture. _I can make my own way._

“Come with us!” Sokka blurts, gripping his knees until his knuckles are white. “Wherever you’re going, you can’t really get there faster on foot than on a flying bison. And we owe you, yeah? You can travel with us, at least until you can walk on your own without risk of falling over.”

“That’s a great idea, Sokka!” Aang claps his hands, the following burst of wind ruffling Appa’s fur around the swordsman. “Appa can totally carry one more! I mean, you only got hurt because you were saving me...”

He scuffs the dirt to clear it. _It’s not that bad._

“Not that bad?” Sokka, scandalized, gestures wildly. “There was an arrow! In your side! How is that not bad?”

Blue shrugs. _I’ve had worse._

The siblings and Aang share an alarmed look. Katara is the one to say what they are all thinking, planting her fists on her hips. “Okay, this isn’t a discussion anymore. Get on the bison.”

He cocks his head to one side. _Is this a kidnapping?_

“Yep,” Sokka pops the p, already tossing supplies up into the saddle. “You’re hurt, you obviously get hurt too often, and now we owe you, so you’re coming with us until you’re better.”

Clearly bewildered, the swordsman finally gives in. Getting to his feet, he climbs Appa’s side unassisted. Though that is a mistake he regrets immediately, if his half-curled position against the saddle wall is any indication.

It’s only after they’re in the sky and flying away that Sokka realizes they’ve just added a fourth to the Gaang, and that Aang and Katara are going to get attached. Even Sokka might, if the guy actually knows how to use those swords. Blue won’t know what hit him, once the feels set in.

Sokka brushes it off with a mental shrug. The guy’ll get used to it eventually.

**Author's Note:**

> I've been playing with a Blue Spirit AU for a while, and I might be using it to fill a few of my other prompts... You can see my bingo card here: https://h-faith-marr.tumblr.com/post/189638776817/alongside-my-bad-things-happen-bingo-i-am-also (rip me I don't know how to make links on here).
> 
> In case you were wondering why Blue eventually agreed to go so easily... well, let's just say that he isn't worried about getting back to Uncle.


End file.
